


Sailing Into The Future

by RomanticMuse



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-11-02 10:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10942188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanticMuse/pseuds/RomanticMuse
Summary: 5x23 speculation piece.





	Sailing Into The Future

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a Twitter revelation of the evening.... Father and son on a boat once again, only this time...both leave together.
> 
> No real trigger warnings, other than youngling in danger.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

“See you on the boat.”

The words rang in Oliver's ears, taunting him. 

There was no boat. They had arrived by plane, as had Chase and his band of monsters. Needless to say, Chase had not been forthcoming as he was being dragged to an ARGUS cell.

“You are still ten steps behind me, Oliver. I could tell you what boat, what location...and you would still be too late. Your legacy is mine now, lost forever to the sea.” Chase's sadistic smile crept across his face, which somehow seemed more warped due to the blood and dirt. 

“TELL ME WHERE MY SON IS!” Oliver bellowed, as he gripped the cell bars directly in front of Chase's face. The metal rattled slightly under his fingertips, but Chase did not even flinch.

“Catch up, Oliver, if you can.” With those words, Chase turned his back and laid across the flimsy ARGUS-issue cot.

Oliver stormed out without another word, ignoring the other prisoners that Nyssa and Dig were securing. Once he climbed the ladder, he began to furiously pace in the sand.

“Oliver, man...we will find him.” The words were the only hint that Dig had reached the surface. 

“How?! Do you even understand how many miles of land there are to cover on this island? How many boats have washed up on the shore?” For what felt like the millionth time in the past 24 hours, Oliver felt his stomach turn as the panic began to rise in his chest. 

A small hand wrapped around his arm, drawing him close. Felicity looked up, meeting his gaze, and Oliver felt his racing heart begin to slow. 

“Oliver, listen to me. I know Chase is in your head, but we have been able to outsmart him before. What, exactly, did he tell you?”

With a sigh, Oliver ran his hands through his hair. “The only thing he said was, ‘see you on the boat.’ I thought at first he meant that he was going to take a boat, use it as his lair while he had you all. Then we landed and all the signs pointed into the woods.”

Felicity looked around, taking in every inch of the shoreline. “He never ventured far from where he was keeping us. He was never gone long enough to go to the other side of the island, none of them were. Oliver, when you were here…”

“The Amazo. He has him on the Amazo.” Oliver released the breath he had not realized he was holding, and squeezed Felicity's fingers. “Thank you.”

Oliver bolted down the shoreline, heading toward the place he knew housed the wreckage of the Amazo. His breath caught in his chest, and he fought to push down his fears. He would never be able to take a deep enough breath to make it, if he did not calm down.

After a few forced breaths, Oliver looked back to see where Felicity and Dig were approaching over the ridge. Maybe she nodded, maybe it was his imagination - but it was enough to help him steel his nerves.

The water was cooler than usual for this time of year, Oliver absently thought as he worked his way further from the shore. He needed to wait until he reached the edge of the sandbar to dive. That had allowed him to successfully reach the wreckage before.

He felt the sand shift beneath his feet, and knew he had reached the proper spot. Breathing out three times in rapid succession, he took in a deep breath before crisply jackknifing beneath the surface.

Thankfully, the cooler water meant that there was minimal wildlife in the water. There would not be the risk of running across a hungry shark, or other predators.

In record time, Oliver reached the metal carcass of the freighter. He twisted and turned through the walls until he saw William. 

Chase had left him, lashed to the very bars that Slade had laid upon with an arrow in his eye. Bubbles escaped from the scuba mask, but William rested still where he was bound. Oliver hoped this meant he had been warned that struggling would waste precious air.

William's eyes were closed, and Oliver feared the worst. He slashed the ropes quickly with his knife, then tugged William's body toward the edge of the wreckage.

Oliver felt his lungs begin to burn, and kicked harder. He pushed William in front of him, and they quickly reached the surface. 

Without wasting a moment, Oliver tugged the mask and gear off, and cradled his son's head to keep him above water. He leaned in close, and felt the warm breath escaping William.

As he kicked toward the shore, he heard a faint whisper. “You look like the Green Arrow…”

Oliver smiled to himself, as he wondered how much William would remember. He shook his head, and pushed harder to get to the shoreline.

Felicity and Dig were waiting at the edge of the water. “Is he…?” Felicity whispered, her eyes wide.

Oliver nodded, and set William down in the sand. “He's going to be okay. He still had air when I got inside.” Felicity reached out to rub his back gently, with a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, they both heard a quiet voice say, “No way...you ARE the Green Arrow.” 

Oliver froze, watching as Felicity tried to compose herself. He could only imagine what he looked like right now, since she looked about ready to break into hysterical giggles.

“Yes, William. I am the Green Arrow...I…”

Oliver had no idea what to say. The words failed him, and he set his jaw for a moment.

“That man, the one who brought me here...he said that he wanted my dad to come for me. He wanted him to suffer. But...you came for me…”

Oliver started rubbing his fingers together nervously as William began to process everything, knowing that even preteen logic would put the pieces together before too long. He and Samantha had never really talked about how to handle this, considering he had not expected to see William until he was an adult.

“Come on, let's go find your mom.” Oliver hoped the thought of Samantha would distract William, and he helped him scramble to his feet.

After a few minutes of walking, William stopped and asked, “Oliver...are you my dad AND the Green Arrow? Or just the Green Arrow?”

One deep breath passed. Then another.

“I….” 

“Yes, sweetheart. He is your dad. And the Green Arrow.” Samantha's voice came out of nowhere, and Oliver breathed in deeply. She nodded at him in acknowledgment that he had kept their deal. “I told him not to tell you, and that was wrong. If I had let him tell you, and protect you, this might not have ever happened. I'm sorry, William.”

William looked into his mother's eyes, for a moment looking just like Oliver...then nodded. Without another word, he stepped back toward his father and wrapped his arms around him.

“Thank you, Dad.”

Oliver's eyes welled up with tears as William pulled away. Nevertheless, he nodded back at his son, started to walk, and said, “Let's go home.”


End file.
